Ahead of their middleweight world title rematch that headlines UFC 312 in Sydney, Australia next month, champion Dricus du Plessis says that challenger (and former champ) Sean Strickland needs to get real.
The South African won the championship a little over a year ago their original bout via split decision in a bout that saw Du Plessis score six takedowns en route to the judges’ decision — but this time around, Strickland has called for a stand-up battle between the two rivals.
But according to Du Plessis, that isn’t mixed martial arts.
“It’s a ridiculous thing to ask,” Du Plessis told Fox Sports Australia, via MMA Junkie. “If you want to make pacts about us just standing up, go do boxing. I don’t go into fights thinking I have to stand up or take the guy down. I do what the situation tells me to do. That’s what MMA fighters do. I’m comfortable everywhere.”
Everywhere, though, includes on the feet.
“I think we are most likely going to keep it standing,” he added. “I know I have the cardio, I know I can push him back and I know I have the power to knock him out. So for me, that’s great. Then, if the opportunity comes to get a takedown, it’s a decision you have to make immediately. If you see the moment, you take it.
“He said ‘To the death,’ and I was ready for that,” Du Plessis said. “You saw it, too. I went forward for 23 minutes of a 25-minute fight. But from him? It was jabs and teeps. Against Paulo Costa next fight, same thing. So, ‘to the death’?
“Sean Strickland knows a lot of one-liners to sound tough, but I expose fake tough guys. And as for him now again saying let’s make this pact? What’s the purpose of a pact after we saw what happened the last time? Plus, I’m not here to make pacts, I’m here to win.”
UFC 312 takes place on February 9 from the Qudus Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia. The c0-main event is scheduled to be a women’s strawweight title bout between champion Weili Zhang and challenger Tatiana Suarez.
